Draft-gear yoke.



Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

A TTORNE Y V. WILLOUGHBY.

DRAFT GEAR YOKE. \4 APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. 1913. 1,164,046.

UNITED STATES PATENT orFIeE.

VICTOR WILLOUGHBY, OF JEFFEERSONVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW TERSEY.

DRAFT-GEAR YOKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Dec. 14, 1915.

To all whom it may CO'ILC /"IL! Be it known that I, VICTOR 'l/VnLorainnY,

residing at Jeifersonville, Clark county, Indiana, and being a citizen of the United States,-hare invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gear Yokes, of which the following is a full, clear, and act description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and to use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred form .of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various, modifications thereof will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings: Figure 1 represents a side view of a device embodying myinvention partially in section wherein the upper half thereof illustrates the longitudinal section. Fig. 2 represents a plan view of the same partially in section wherein the upper half represents a horizontal central section.

This invention relates to a simple, convenient and economical assemblage of draft gear yoke elements and comprehends in its adaptation the uniting of such elements by means that penetrate butone of the assenr bled elements. It also comprehends in its adaptation the securing of the yoke head and yoke strap in rigid conjunction and the draw bar or coupler shank in sliding conjunction with the yoke strap.

This device is particularly designed to lessen the tension or pulling stresses upon the yoke strap and at the same time facilitate the taking downor assemblage of the parts without destroying the connecting means. It is also designed to lighten the construction without sacrificing the strength of any of the parts.

Referring to the drawings, the coupder shank or draw bar 1 is preferably of cast metal and of the usual conventional form and is provided with an enlarged end forming shoulders Z, the said enlarged end being provided with rivet holes 3 which have in the usual construction been employed to rigidly connect the enlarged end of the coupler shank and the yoke strap. These rivet holes are not necessary in the construction of this invention but are merely shown as they exist in most of the conventional forms.

A hollow sleeve head 4 is provided with upwardly and downwardly extending shoul ders 5 located at the top and bottom thereof and is also provided with a, fork 6 extendim forward on either side of the coupler shank 1, and the said fork is of considerably greater width than the vertical diameter of the said coupler shank] The upper and lower portions 7 of the fork that project above and below the coupler shank are provided with perforations or slots 8, and the body of the said fork is perforated or cut away as at 4* to lighten the said fork, and as there is practically no strain at the point 41, the removal of this metal in no way impairs the strength of the said head.

A yoke strap 9 is provided with angular or offset portions 10 and 11 forming Ts at the terminals of each legof said yoke and these angular offset portions are adapted to abut the shoulders 5 of the hollow sleeve head 4 and the shoulders 2 of the enlarged end of the coupler shank. In former constructions of this nature, the T extension on the legs of the yoke strap sustained the entire weight of the tension or pulling stresses and, as the yoke strap in this instance and in fact, in almost all standard constructions is of wrought metal, such stresses would have a tendency to stretch theyoke strap or in fact might pull off the entire T extensions. To obviate this contingency keys 12, are provided that penetrate thc'slots 8 of the hollow sleeve-head fork 6. These keys are preferably constructed. of wrought metal and are provided with an angular stop 12 at one end and a hole at the other for the insertion of a. cotter pin 12.

The perforations in the hollow sleeve head fork (S are arranged with a slight lateral play for the keys and the bottoms of the said slots are preferabl arranged in the plane of the inner edges of the T extensions 11 so that the said keys 12 will abut the faces of the T extensions of the yoke strap when the same are in position and thereby hold the yoke straps firmly between the shoulders draw bar and an imperforate yoke strap, a

Ts to the keys 12 located in the hollow sleeve head fork 6. Another advantage of this construction is that the keys 12-, as has been before said, are constructed from wrought metal so that a sudden tension or pulling shock would not be directly transmitted to the hollow sleeve head 4 or to the hollow sleeve head fork 6, both of which are integral and constructed of cast metal, but would be transmitted through the wrought metal extensions 11 of the yoke strap Ts and the wrou ht metal keys 12, thereby cushioning suc. shock to a certain extent ltnd eliminating-much of the danger of freeturihg the hollow sleeve head.

The operation of assembling the device of this invention is as follows: The coupler shank enlarged end or head 2 is inserted sidewise between the yoke strap legs and the hollow sleeve head 4 slid over the rear end of the yoke strap until the shoulders 5 abut the outer extensions 10 of the yoke strap Ts. The keys 12 are then inserted into the slots 8 of the hollow sleeve head 6 and the cotter pin 12 inserted into the ends thereof, thereby firmly holding the yoke strap and the hollow sleeve head in )osition. The gearmay then be inserted ehind the coupler shank enlarged end or head, forcing the shoulders 2 of the same into contact with the inner extensions 11 of the yoke strap Ts.

To take-down the device, this operation is reversed.

What I claim is: 1. In a device of the class described, a

hollow head embracing the same and provided with an extending perforated fork and with means fitting some of the said perforations of said fork and adapted to unite the parts of the device together.

2. In combination, a shouldered coupler shank, a yoke strap having shouldered ends adapted to engage shoulders on the coupler shank, outwardly extending shoulders on said yoke strap, a hollow head adapted to slide freely longitudinall of said yoke strap into contact with the sai outwardly extending shoulders, and transverse? extending keys projected through said hol ow head bcbe tween a part of said head and said yoke strap.

3. In combination, a coupler shank prorided with shoulders, a yoke providing a loop and having angular ends engaging said shoulders, oppositely extending shoulders on Said yoke, a slotted hollow head adapted to he slipped into position from the loop end of said yoke into engagement with said 0 positely ei'tending projections onsaid yo e and keys penetrating said head clear of said coupler shank and said yoke adapted to lock all of said parts in operative engagemerit.

4. In combination, adraw bar having a shouldered shank portion, a yoke strap having offset ends adapted to engage the shouldered portion of said shank, a hollow head inclosing the said shank and said yoke strap at one side of the offset portions of the strap, said'head having forwardly extending portions lapping the draw bar at the op posite side of said ofl'set )ortions and keys. penetrating said forward extending portions of the head and a apted to contact vl5 with said yokestrap.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses. VICTOR WILLOUGHBY. Witnesses: t 4

Tnmnons E. Lrons, C. C. EASTMAN. 

